Manbij Military Council Reports Turkish Attacks on Their Positions

The Manbij Military Council states that the Turkish army shelled their positions in northern Manbij on Monday afternoon, and these attacks are ongoing. This group interprets Turkey's recent attacks as 'support for ISIS.' Shervan Darwish, spokesperson for the Manbij Military Council, confirmed this news in an interview with Radio Farda, stating that 'our forces have established a defensive line in northern Manbij, which is 20 kilometers from the Turkish border. Nevertheless, the Turkish army has fired more than 20 rockets at our positions today.' According to Darwish, clashes occurred on Sunday and Monday between members of the 'Manbij Military Council' and forces of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in the area, ultimately concluding with the 'defeat and retreat of ISIS forces.' The spokesperson said that the 'defensive line in northern Manbij' was created to prevent the re-entry of ISIS forces into the region. Darwish criticized the Turkish army's actions in shelling their positions, adding that 'Turkey is part of the international coalition against ISIS. For about three years, ISIS forces have been present in this area, but instead of targeting them, the Turkish army is actually firing at our forces, which are 20 kilometers away.' He further stated, 'I can clearly say that in our view, these attacks mean support for ISIS.' The Turkish government has not yet reacted to this news or officially confirmed it. The city of Manbij, located in Aleppo province, Syria, was under the control of ISIS for over two years; however, last week, following a two-month operation, the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council, with the support of the international coalition against ISIS, managed to liberate the city from ISIS. Turkish officials accuse the Syrian Kurdish 'People's Protection Units' (YPG) of aligning with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and are concerned that Syrian Kurds will gain control over Turkey's border areas. In contrast, Syrian Kurds have accused Turkey in recent years of supporting ISIS forces to weaken Syrian Kurds, an accusation that the Turkish government denies. In recent days, following a suicide attack attributed to ISIS in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, the Turkish Foreign Minister announced that they would clear the border areas with Syria of ISIS. During this suicide attack, which occurred at a Kurdish wedding ceremony, at least 50 civilians were killed, most of whom were children. Meanwhile, a member of the Free Syrian Army told Reuters that the forces of this group have recently acted with Turkish support to liberate Jarablus at the Turkish border. In another development, on Monday, the 'Jarablus Military Council' issued a statement announcing its establishment. This council, like the 'Manbij Military Council,' is close to the Syrian Democratic Forces and has declared its intention to work for the liberation of Jarablus. In this context, Turkey has called for a 'new chapter' in the Syrian crisis from global powers and expressed hope for the 'finalization' of negotiations with Russia to combat ISIS in Syria. Syrian rebels are preparing to attack a city in northern Syria from Turkish territory. The Islamic Republic is accused of 'acting against Syrian Kurds.' For the first time, Syrian warplanes bombed the positions of Kurdish forces in Hasakah.